Well,
there are a number things you can do with your lemons! Lemons
can be eaten raw ... but that can be a pretty sour experience! When Israel had
difficulties Isaiah described them as having raw wounds:
Isa 1:6
6 From the sole of the
foot even to the head there is nothing sound ... only bruises, welts
and raw wounds, not pressed out or bandaged, nor softened with oil. NASU
Israel had
some hard times! And when life comes at
you raw it can be a fairly difficult experience! Equipment
breaks, the family argues, disease disables, finances disappear, friendships
are no longer available, security is non-existent ' and life can leave
some raw wounds. It is a real world experience
for most of us.
Taking
life in the raw, without the help of someone who will come along side
of you and give you support, is a difficult way to live. Jesus
said
Matt 11:28-30
28 " Come to Me, all who
are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 "Take My yoke upon
you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls.
30 "For My yoke is easy
and My burden is light." NASU
Jesus
wants to be yoked with you. When life is
raw you can let Him pull the load and be your burden bearer. It isn't necessary that you do all the labor ' meet all
the deadlines ' take care of all the needs. Let
Jesus set some priorities for your life. Let
Him set some proper boundaries. Let Him
carry the load!
Yes,
lemons can be eaten raw ... but they are usually used to flavor many
baked goods, desserts, and other sweet and savory dishes, providing
a mildly tart, fresh flavor.
Heb 5:14-6:1
14 But solid food belongs
to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. NKJV
I
don't suppose any of us want to have bitter times in life, but they
do come! The question then is what do you
do with those sour experiences? The evidence
in the Bible is that God wants us to use those times to help us mature
and become more than what we have been before. Maturity
comes from the mixing together our experience with the good things
and the evil things ' and coming to some positive, mature attitudes
about life!
The outer skin of a lemon
which is referred to as "zest" contains a lot of flavor that can
be used to enhance the flavor of foods when cooking and baking.
Usually,
when I think of zest I think of something really exciting! But
when life gives you a lemon ' and you experience the zest ' that is
apparently one of the most bitter parts of the experience. The
Apostle Paul had some of those experiences. Friends
deserted him, he was not accepted in the community where he lived,
and the results he had hoped to gain were not apparent at the time
' he was really discouraged!
2 Cor 1:8-10
8 ' we do not want you
to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia,
that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we
despaired even of life;
9 indeed, we had the sentence
of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves,
but in God who raises the dead;
10 who delivered us from
so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, NASU
It
only takes a little "zest" to season your experiences in life! But notice the confidence that Paul had in the continuing
support of Jesus Christ. The experience
was a teaching tool to him ' he learned again that he could
not trust in himself, but only in God ' the one who is able to deliver!
I
want you to know that a little zest goes a long way. It
requires a lot of sugar and a lot of added flavor to overcome the zest
of a lemon. I had a piece of apple pie
that was baked with a teaspoon of lemon zest ... it had a good flavor
but that one teaspoon had to have several apples, a lot of sugar, and
some good pie crust to make it palatable!
In
life it seems to be the same ' we need a lot of grace, a lot of
assurance, a lot of affirmation from Jesus Christ ' and then life
can "taste" good!
Lemon
juice can be used to tenderize meat, or added to steamed vegetables
to help them keep their bright colors, or squeezed over fresh cut
fruit to help them retain their firm texture.
The
juice of difficult experiences creates a touchable person. Have
you been tenderized?
Heb 7:27-28
28 For the Law appoints
men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which
came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.
27 who does not need daily,
like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own
sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once
for all when He offered up Himself. NASU
I'm
thankful that we have a Savior who is perfect in every way, but when
I have failed and I am needy, I'm grateful that I can lean upon a brother
in Christ who understands my struggles because he is struggling also. That sounds rather pathetic ... but the Spirit does
not call the teacher who knows everything to be the teacher ' but that
the teacher would be a learner with his students. The
Spirit does not call the healer to heal because he is well. And
those who lead us on into perfection have not yet become perfect. The
squeeze of the lemon still tenderizes them, brightens their colors,
and firms their faith!
The
composition and properties of lemons also make them a natural health
and beauty aid. They can be used in home beauty treatments to rejuvenate
the skin, to lighten sunspots on the skin and put highlights in hair.
Prov 4:7-9
7 " The beginning
of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with
all your acquiring, get understanding.
9 "She will place
on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown
of beauty ." NASU
Someone
has said, "Wisdom for tomorrow is usually evidence of mistakes in
the past." Wisdom and understanding
can come from learning from our mistakes ' but some of us have made
the same mistakes more than once! Learning
from our mistakes not adds wisdom ' but adds grace and beauty to
our lives.
Lemon
juice can also used as a cleaning agent. Squeeze the juice of
a lemon into the bottom of the pan or pot. Swirl the lemon juice
to coat. Put your pan or pot into the dishwasher and wash as usual. Plus,
it acts as natural bleach for stains on fabrics and is used as a
hand cleaner to remove odors from the skin. Mixed
with Aloe Vera it can be used as a skin cleanser.
Ps 51:3
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
7 Purify me with hyssop,
and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. NASU
Repentance
is difficult for those who do not see that they have sinned. For
that reason it is often a problem for good people to admit their need
of repentance. King David was confronted with his sin of adultery
and murder ' and cried out that his sin was ever before him. The
awful mess of our sin should cause a wise person to call out to God
for forgiveness! |
